I'll Never Leave
by ArmAndLeg
Summary: Kouta, for the past few weeks, had been leaving the house at night to talk a walk. Yuka is worried. Can she help Kouta get out of his depression?


**AN: **This story was for a LJ community called "AntiOTP." Basically I forced myself to write for a pairing that I don't understand or just don't plain like. I warn, this fic is nice to Yuka. I needed to understand her character better, and this short story helped me do just that.

**Warnings:** Takes place at the end of Elfen Lied. Kouta/Yuka. Angst/fluff.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Elfen Lied, aside from three DVDs that are in my possession--as for the rights to the show, those I do not have.

I'll Never Leave

Yuka sighed, closing her eyes as she rolled over in her bed, trying to calm herself down. Kouta had come home from his nightly walk--and by the sound of it, he was okay. She needed to sleep. They had classes tomorrow--and if her professors found her sleeping again, she wouldn't stop hearing it from Kouta. Sleep would come as long as she didn't _worry_ so much.

A knock. Yuka sat straight up, holding her breath. In the dim light behind the door she could see the vague silhouette of a person. She relaxed gain, standing up to let the person behind the door in her room. "What's wrong, Kouta?" she asked, trying to sound as if she had just woken up. She clumsily rubbed at her eyes to increase the effect.

Kouta blinked at Yuka's question before looking away, his eyes filled with this sadness that Yuka had only seen in his eyes once before. "I-I'm sorry. It's nothing. Did I wake you up?"

Yuka sighed, shaking her head. "Kouta--what's wrong? You can tell me..." she muttered softly, moving closer to him. In the dim light of the hallway she could see a weird shine along Kouta's eyes--was he going to cry?

"It's--it's about Nyu," he said finally, continuing to look away from her.

A harsh stabbing pain in Yuka's chest caused her to narrow her eyes slightly and purse her lips. She decided it might be best if she remained silent--if she spoke...

"I don't think she's going to come back," he continued, his voice shaking. "And it's all my fault--she left because of me!"

Yuka's eyes softened slightly before she moved away from the doorway, motioning Kouta to come inside. "Kouta--I know you miss her--we all do--but she'll come back." Another sharp pain in her chest, her breathing becoming compromised, her shoulders tensed. Not wanting Kouta to notice, Yuka turned away from his eyes. "She wouldn't just leave us--not without saying goodbye."

"I--saw her--before she left," Kouta muttered. "She said goodbye to me. She made it seem like she was never coming back--and she isn't! And I think it may be my fault. She left because of me--because of what had happened."

Yuka's eyes widened, turning around to face Kouta, anger bubbling up inside her. "What happened? What did she do, Kouta?"

Kouta stared at Yuka with wide eyes, a flicker of fear passing through them before pain, then guilt. Slowly he seemed to gather his thoughts, and he looked away. "You don't need to know, Yuka. It's between me and Nyu," he said finally, decisively.

Glaring at him, Yuka approached Kouta. "She hurt you, Kouta! And I want to know how she hurt you--I want to help you!" she hissed, raising her hand as if she were about to slap him. She stopped, her arm halfway in the air, before slumping her shoulders and staring at the ground. "I want to help you, Kouta," she muttered, tears beginning to roll down her face.

Kouta sighed, reaching out to embrace Yuka, rubbing small circles in her back with the tips of his fingers. "Yuka...I know you want to help me--but what happened between me and Nyu is too painful for me to talk about," he said softly into her shoulder. "I don't want to ever talk about it. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

Yuka nodded, tears rolling down her face and onto Kouta's shirt. She was thankful that her nose hadn't started running yet. "But I can--still try to make you feel better," Yuka responded, her voice cracking with the eight of her tears. She tried to calm herself down before saying this next part. "I love you, Kouta. I don't like seeing you upset."

Silence. Kouta's chest even stopped moving up and down, his hands on her back forgetting to move in circles. Yuka resisted the urge to move out of his arms--if he was going to reject her, he would have moved away from her already. suddenly, Kouta seemed to be breathing again, his arms wrapping even more tightly around Yuka's body, holding her closer than he had ever done so before. "Thank you, Yuka," he whispered, his own voice cracking due to tears.

Yuka nodded hesitantly, wrapping her arms around him, a small smile breaking out across her face. "You can stay in my room for the night, if it'll help, Kouta," she said softly in his ear. He needed, causing Yuka to smile even wider. "I'll always be here when you need me. I won't ever leave you, Kouta."

Kouta nodded, saying thank you once more. Once they pulled apart, he leaned down and kissed her before saying thank you one more time.

Yuka smiled, knowing for sure that Kouta would eventually be okay, as long as she remained by his side.


End file.
